Burning Daylight
by A Writer With Mixed Interests
Summary: The story of Nick, from the very beginning of the apocalypse until his arrival at Howe's and beyond. *Co-written with heidipoo*
1. A Not-So-Normal Day

**Burning Daylight**

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 **Hey everyone! Heidi and I decided to write together again since it's been a really long time. This time we decided on a Nick-centric story since we've never done that, from day one of the apocalypse on. Please enjoy!**

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Nick sighed in frustration, hanging up the phone with a little more force than necessary. "Goddamn it."

"Somethin' the matter?" Luke asked, turning to look at his friend with a frown.

"The guy cancelled out on selling that TV, was expensive as hell too," Nick replied. He sat down and placed his head in his hands. "Shit, we're flat broke as it is."

Most days, Nick actually enjoyed his co-owned business as a pawn shop owner, along with Luke, but when it came to the money, or lack thereof, then the stress kicked in. Luke's college graduation party about three years earlier was when they'd decided to do this, having more than a few drinks in the process. Nick, of course, hadn't been too enthusiastic about entrepreneurship, but Luke had been persistent.

"Yeah," Luke agreed, not looking too happy about that either. "Uh, any word on the woman with the radio?"

Nick scoffed. "'Course not. How many times has she told us she'd call us back?"

"Damn." Luke sighed, putting his head in his hands as he took a seat. Usually he was the optimistic one about everything, but maybe opening a business right out of college wasn't one of his best ideas. The economy was down, and the only space they'd managed to find was in a not so great part of town; where business was so-so, and shops came and went as the tide of people's wants and needs changed. He had promised Nick they'd make okay money, and now here they were, a few months later, and almost flat broke. They could barely afford to pay the bills.

"I'm ready to go home," Nick got out, tired of the way this day was going already.

"Go home?" Luke questioned. "Nick, it's barely three o'clock, how're we gonna make money if they shop ain't open?" He was pacing now, running a hand through his long hair, frustrated with his friend.

"Look around, Luke, we ain't had a customer in months!"

"Just give it time!" he tried to counter.

Nick shrugged. "That's what you always say."

He had a point, too, with Luke always trying to look on the bright side. Too bad he was rarely, if ever, right. The store was so dead that you could almost hear a cricket chirping in the background. The silence drove Nick crazy; it was too bad that they couldn't exactly afford a radio or small TV or something to have background noise with. Silence made the days go by much slower, especially on a day like this, where the weather was relatively warm and there weren't many people around.

Luke was about to say something to break the quiet moment when the phone rang. Nick was on his feet in an instant, running to answer it. Perhaps it was, finally, a customer.

"Luke and Nick's Pawning," he said in the phone.

"Nick, you and Luke need t'get out of there. Now."

"What?" Nick frowned in confusion. "Is this some kind of joke, Uncle Pete? We're still at work, you know."

"Damn it, boy, listen to me!" Pete said firmly, almost angrily. "There's somethin' going on, somethin' weird. Y'all need to close up your damn shop and get here, now!"

Nick was about to tell him that he didn't believe him when he heard the sounds of gunshots and screams in the background. It sounded real serious, too. Were they under attack? Was something else happening?

And...what the hell was that growling in the background?

"Nick?!"

"Yeah, I'm here, I'm here!" Nick answered quickly. "What the fuck's happening? We'll leave."

This got Luke's attention. "What's the matter?"

Just then, a loud scream came from right outside, making both men jump.

They weren't sure what it was or where it came from, but it could have been from the large group of people - or whatever the hell they were - starting to form just right outside the shop. However, neither man wanted to find out just what was happening.

"Uncle Pete?!" Nick questioned turning his attention back to the phone. But the older man had long gone and hung up. That's when Nick immediately turned to Luke. "Listen, I don't know what the fuck is goin' on but Pete said we gotta get home asap." He started scrambling around the shop grabbing personal belongings and other things that might be of importance.

"Nick!" Luke tried to snap him out of his trance. "Nick, bud, talk to me, what the fuck is wrong?"

He stopped, if only for a moment. "I don't know! But by the sounds of it we need to get home now! We'll find out more when we talk to Pete." He grabbed the keys to the truck he and Luke shared and double checked for anything else that he might have forgotten. Right now, there was only one thing on his mind and that was his family, which were his mom, and his Uncle Pete.

"That was Pete on the phone? Is he alright?"

Nick sighed. "Luke, I don't know! Just get your shit and come on!" he yelled as the screams and other miscellaneous noises from outside only got louder. Luke finally obliged and grabbed his things, following Nick to the back exit.

The two were about to walk out the back door of the shop before Luke stopped. "Look, we don't know what's out there...don't you think we should, I don't know, have some way to protect ourselves?" They had a gun, but used it for emergency purposes only. Would this count as an emergency? Both men weren't sure.

Nick had a hard time concentrating, so he agreed. "Yeah, sure, whatever, let's just get the hell out of here."

Luke ran back and quickly unopened the safe in the back office, grabbing the gun and the pack of ammunition before running back out to join Nick, who had already practically dove into the truck and into the driver's seat. Nick reversed and got onto the main road quickly, not caring about the honks and swears he got for it in return.

The drive was literally chaos as people ran away screaming, and there were other people limping slowly as if in a daze. The continuous gunshots made the men's ears ring. Nick was driving too fast to notice that there was something off about those people, but he was soon to wish that he'd never found out what.

"Holy shit!" Luke exclaimed as he saw someone shoot another person right in the face, without hesitation.

"What the fuck?!" Nick's eyes went wide, and he drove even faster, giving no care for the speed limit. Since Pete's house was closer, he made a sharp turn onto his uncle's street, nearly running over many people in the process. Was that bump in the road always there? But he didn't have time for mundane questions, he had to know if his mother and uncle were safe.

"Pete!" Nick yelled the second he saw the older man. He slammed on the brakes and hopped out of the car, Luke right on his tail. He hugged his uncle, which was broken rather fast. "Shit, are you alright? Where's Mom? What the hell's happening?!"

"We're fine, but listen, we need to get the hell out of here," Pete explained. "The news is reportin' all sort of catastrophes, somethin' about an outbreak. People are dying left and right, and it ain't safe here."

Just then, Nick's mother, Helen, appeared in the doorway. She immediately ran to her son, embracing him tightly. "Oh, thank God you're alright!"

Nick hugged her back. "I'm fine, Ma, got out of there as soon as I could...you wouldn't believe the shit Luke and me saw."

"An outbreak?" Luke inquired. "Like a disease?"

"We ain't too sure, all we know is that it's not safe. Especially not in town," Helen said as she let go of Nick.

"Why don't we just hole up the house? Stay here until everything dies down?" Luke suggested.

Pete shook his head. "The news said that big rural areas like ours are the most dangerous," he said. "Too many damn people."

"Alright." Nick nodded, as if he had decided everything right then and there. "We need to get supplies...food, water, whatever and pack up the truck. After that we'll just drive, get the hell out of here," he said with determination. "Pete can get the guns...we'll do what we need to do to stay safe."

"And just where are we gonna go?" Pete questioned, "We can't drive forever!"

"I don't know, Pete! But the longer we stay here, the less chance we got of staying alive and makin' it out of this thing safe."

"He's right, Pete," Helen replied. "Our best bet is leavin' as soon as we can."

Conflict rested on the older man's face before he finally ran and hand through his hair and agreed with his nephew. "Alright," he said. "I'm gonna let you take the call on this one." He then looked over to Luke, who was still acting pretty nonchalant over the whole thing. "Luke, help me get the guns while Helen and Nick pack up," he ordered.

Luke nodded and followed Pete to the basement.

Even down here, they could hear all the chaos that went on above them. Pete's guns had mostly been for hunting up to this point, but he had come somewhat prepared. There was a lot of ammo as well, but they had to be careful not to use it all at once, even with something dangerous around.

"Get the knives, too, we're gonna need all we can," Pete advised. "We're burnin' daylight."

Luke nodded at the saying he'd heard nearly his entire life, grabbing the other weapons. The gunshots never seemed to stop, and they were only getting louder. The two men needed to be quick, God forbid if something were to happen to Nick or Helen while they were down here.

Nick and Helen were hurriedly packing up the car with the house's food and water supply when they returned. Pete's truck didn't have enough gas to get them out of the city, so they stuck with Luke and Nick's truck, since it had been filled up that morning.

Pete revved up the engine. "Come on, we need to get the hell out of here!"

Everyone else hurried into the truck. A couple seconds too late and one of the things seen earlier would have been able to grab Nick, but he was able to escape just in time. They sped away and out of a neighborhood that was no longer their home.

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 **Please let us know what you think! We're not sure how often updates will be because we're both in college and have busy lives, but we'll try. This story will also have other characters from TWDG later on. So until the next chapter, see ya!**


	2. Leaving the City

In town was the worst, each member of the group could easily admit that. People were panicking, claiming that it was the end of the world, and in a way, it was. Nick tried not to look out the window as Pete drove, but it was hard to ignore the sounds of people screaming and things breaking...and was that growling? Nick shook his head at the thought. Nobody really knew what was going on at the moment.

"Alright," Pete spoke up, breaking the silence in the truck. "As soon as we get Luke's folks, we're outta town...that's non-negotiable."

"Do you think my family's okay?" Luke inquired. Hell, he was closer to Nick's family than he was his own, but still, he had love for his parents, and he'd feel bad knowing that something happened to them and he wasn't there to help. He was worried, everyone was.

"Hard tellin'," Pete replied, tightening his grip on the steering wheel.

"You alright, Ma?" Nick asked, turning his head and looking to his mother who sat in the front seat of the truck beside Pete.

She shook her head. "A little shook up, but I'm alright."

Pete smiled. "Your mom's tough as nails, where do you think you get it from?" he asked Nick.

"Just...a lot happened back there." Nick shook his head, trying to forget what he saw.

Luke sighed. "Are you sure you're alright, bud?"

"I'll be fine," Nick dismissed him. He always hated when people worried for him, there were days when he thought he didn't deserve their compassion. Luckily for him, Luke didn't pry him anymore, and for that he was thankful.

Ten or so minutes later, they reached Luke's old neighborhood, and to say that it was worse than Pete's was an understatement. Some houses were burnt down and a couple were on fire. Cars were flipped over and there was blood everywhere. On the remaining houses, the streets, you name it. There also seemed to be more and more of those dead things walking around. Screams from people erupted from every direction.

"Shit," Luke muttered to himself as his phone went straight into voicemail. He'd tried to contact his parents to know if they were alright. "Shit, shit, shit."

"The phones must've cut off," Helen pointed out, trying to come up with a hopeful reason for their lack of answer.

Luke's old house was, fortunately, still standing. There was blood on the garage door and the front entrance, which was very worrying. What the hell had happened? Before Pete had even stepped on the brake, Luke opened the door to the car and bolted to the front door. Nick wasn't far behind.

The young man threw the door open, calling for his parents.

"Mom? Dad? If y'all are here, I need an answer!"

But there was no answer. There was, however, a noise coming from upstairs.

Nick's gaze softened, worried for his friend. "Are you sure you want to go up there?"

Luke turned around to face the younger man. "I have to. They're my family." Taking one step at a time, he slowly moved up the stairs while Nick stood at the bottom with a rifle, as if keeping watch. Helen and Pete never left the truck, and both men were seemingly thankful for that. They didn't need an audience for this. He took a deep breath as he finally made it to the top.

"Mom? Dad?" he questioned rather loudly again, but still received no answer. He tried to be an optimist, but right now, only one thing crossed his mind.

Luke let his feet carry him down the hallway to where he knew his parents' room was, and he held his breath when he reached for the doorknob. Mentally, he counted to three before opening the door, and nothing could have prepared him for what he saw. They were his parents, but they were hardly recognizable.

On the floor was his mother, her upper body leaning against the bed, her head dented in. A large bite mark on her neck very easily indicated what had happened to her, as well as the blood splatter on the wall. A groaning noise finally broke Luke out of his trance, and on the bed was his father, crawling forward and trying to reach for him. There was a bite mark on his wrist, and a deep one at that.

Luke felt physically sick. He had never seen anything more disturbing in his life, and it had to happen to his parents. The smell was unbearable, and he had to cover his nose. He had no choice but to back away when his father finally fell to the ground, standing up and going towards him.

He briefly turned away, knowing what he had to do. "I'm sorry, Dad."

Then, he took the machete found in Pete's basement and plunged it deep into his father's eye. The man was fully dead in a second. Luke jumped away as the machete came out, now caked in blood.

His parents were dead. There was nothing more that could be done for them.

Taking a few moments to himself, he grieved, but he knew that Nick, Helen and Pete were waiting for him. So, he put on a brave face and headed back downstairs where Nick was still standing. "Hey man," Nick started, but as soon as he saw the look on his friend's face, he decided to shut up. Whatever Luke had just seen, couldn't have been good.

"Let's get going," Luke said, heading out the door and Nick following behind him.

When they climbed back in the truck, Pete didn't hesitate to start conversation. "Everything alright, son? Your folks in there?"

Luke swallowed the lump in his throat. "They uh...they must have cut town before we had."

Pete nodded as he started the truck. "Well, let's hope they're somewhere safe, then." He put the truck in gear and sped away before one of those things had the chance to catch up to them. They drove down the long winding road, and crossed their fingers that they would be able to get out of town soon. But then where would they go? That was surely something that had to be on everyone's mind. They had little food and supplies, no place to stay, and they barely knew what was going on out in the world.

"So, does anybody actually have a plan, or are we just gonna drive around until we're out of gas?" Nick questioned bitterly.

"I'm thinkin', boy," Pete got out.

"Town obviously ain't safe, so that's out of the question," Helen pointed out.

Pete decided to turn on the radio to see if there was any update on the catastrophe. Unfortunately, there was no luck. There was a Level 10 Emergency almost everywhere in the state, and he shut it off with a groan.

"Damn it," he muttered under his breath.

"Gonna need to find a map, maybe it'll lead us to somewhere safe," Luke announced. Anything to get his mind off of what had just happened back at his old home.

"Or out of the state, at least," Nick added.

Helen opened the glove box and pulled out a folded sheet of paper. "Here's one!" she announced. She read through it and groaned, an annoyed look crossing her face. "Shit. It's gonna be nightfall before we reach the state line."

"I don't suppose y'all are too keen of trying to find a safe place for the night?" Pete inquired.

Nick scoffed. "I'd rather sleep in the truck."

"Will you two stop arguing? Now ain't the time!" Helen chided. "If we can find somewhere safe before the sun sets, I think we should go for it. Hell, we don't have nothin' to lose." She looked back towards Luke who was seeming to keep his opinion to himself at the moment.

"I agree," Pete nodded.

"Hey," Luke pointed to a certain spot on the map. "How about these old campgrounds? They haven't been used in years, most likely abandoned," he asked, letting Helen and Nick eye the map as well. "Better than being stuck in the truck all night. And we can get a good night's sleep and think things over before we make any big plans."

"Hm, seems secure enough," Pete said, taking a brief look at the map due to the fact that he was driving. "Hopefully that area ain't gone to hell yet. What do y'all think?" Here, he turned to Nick and Helen.

"I'm fine with it," Nick replied.

"As long as we have someplace decent to sleep tonight," Helen answered.

"Alright, so I guess it's settled then," Pete announced. "Now how far away is this campground?"

Helen looked at the map again. "About two hours," she said.

"Think we can hold out for that long?" Nick inquired, looking uncertain.

"Think so. We've got enough diesel to last us a bit," Pete told him. "But we gotta think of a long-term plan once we reach this place. It ain't gonna be some kind of sanctuary forever."

They just hoped things wouldn't go even more downhill than they already were.


	3. A Survivor?

The highway roads seemed almost desolate as Pete continued to drive. The sides were strewn with hundreds of bodies, some fresher than others. There was still light in the street lamps, but how long would it be before they finally shut out?

"I think I see a sign for the campground," Helen pointed out as they took an exit, crossing a bridge. The other lane was filled with empty, ransacked cars. They were fortunate enough not to be stuck anywhere.

Pete took a look at the gas, about three quarters of a tank left. They would be able to get there, but where would they be able to find more diesel?

"We almost there?" Nick inquired. It had been nearly two hours, but he was already sick of being in the car. He desperately needed to stretch his legs, and would be thankful to do so once they arrived.

"Be patient, just a little ways," Pete told him. Nick couldn't help but to roll his eyes at "be patient."

The campsite was, surprisingly, empty, and filled with a bunch of RVs. There were several bodies and a few walking ones - Pete had decided to call them lurkers during the drive - and they hoped that nothing was as dangerous inside.

"We should check, make sure nothing's wanderin' up in here," Pete said. "Maybe look for other survivors, too."

"You sure there are any around here?" Helen asked.

"Best to look and see," Pete replied. "Everybody grab a weapon, just in case. Nick, you and Luke stay together, so will your mom and I."

"Got it," Nick said with a nod. He took a rifle and handed one to Luke. The two of them made their way to the first RV, and Nick looked over at his friend in concern. "You alright, man?"

He shook his head as they walked behind Pete and Helen, gripping his rifle tightly. "I just..." He swollowed hard. "I know I wasn't that close to 'em...but it was hard seein' my parents like that," he answered truthfully.

Nick looked at him a little puzzled, remembering the answer he gave Pete earlier. "Like what?" he questioned.

"Dead," Luke stated bluntly.

"What?!" Nick asked incredulously.

He nodded. "Just layin' there."

"Shit...I'm sorry, man."

"It's okay." Luke shook his head again, holding the rifle tighter.

They stopped in front of the RV door, and after making sure it was unlocked, Nick counted to three on his fingers and opened it wide. Both men aimed their rifles around, but at first glance, the place seemed empty.

But what was all that blood on the floor? What had happened?

Nick turned to Luke. "You go this way, I'll go the other?" he suggested, and Luke nodded.

The only doors that Nick had to check were the bathroom and what seemed to be a child's bedroom. There was nothing out of place in the bedroom, not even a speck of blood. The bathroom, though, was different. A dead walker lay face down on the tiled floor, its stench making Nick feel sick. The shower curtain was open, indicating that there was nothing else in there. Suddenly, the clicking of a safety broke him out of his thoughts.

Nick whipped around, coming face-to-face with a somewhat older, dark-haired man, in his late thirties or early forties, pointing a revolver at him with shaky hands.

Nick, eyes widening at the sight of the gun, gripped his own, not knowing whether or not to point his back at the person. "Who are you?"

The man briefly remained silent, glancing around. "You're not...one of them?"

"I'm not," Nick replied. "Look, I don't want any trouble, alright? I ain't here to hurt anyone." To emphasize, he put his rifle down and held his hands up. This action made the man, who Nick noted was a bit pale, lower his own gun.

"Is it just you?" the man questioned.

Nick shook his head. "I'm here with my family. My mom, my uncle, and my friend checking out the rest of the RV. We're just looking for a safe place to stay until we can figure out what the hell is goin' on," he answered honestly with the stranger, because the man still had a gun, and even though he was shaking, you could never be too sure if he was going to use the weapon or not.

That's when Luke came from the other end of the RV. "Nick? You alright?" He called out, before noticing the stranger. "Holy shit!" he exclaimed, before approaching the two.

"That's my friend," Nick gestured.

The strange man put down his gun fully. "Well, you all look harmless, so I guess there's no need for this."

"Thank you," Nick said, nodding for Luke to put down his gun.

"I'm Liam," the stranger introduced. "And this is my RV, or was, I guess...until all this shit happened."

Luke extended his hand to shake. "I'm Luke, and this here's Nick."

"It's kinda nice to see some friendly faces around here after all this," Liam replied. "You both from around here?"

"A couple hours away," Nick answered.

"Guess you had to evacuate, then," Liam said. "Some of 'em came outta the woods, freaked the hell out of all of us. We had no choice but to fight them, some of us bare-handed. Not many weapons out here, y'know?"

"So I'm guessin' that explains the bodies?" Luke inquired.

Liam nodded, then looked solemn. "Not all of them come from the ones that attacked. I knew a couple of 'em out there. Good people."

"Sounds like this shit is getting worse..." Nick trailed off.

"What about you?" Luke asked. "You alone?"

"Yeah," Liam answered. "The kid's bedroom belongs to my nephew, when he comes to visit. I'm just hoping my family's safe through all this."

"I heard voices," Pete called out as he and Helen walked into the RV. They both turned and noticed Liam. "Now who's this?"

"This is Liam, this is his RV," Luke explained. "Liam, this is Nick's mother, Helen, and his uncle, Pete."

"Nice to meet you all," Liam said with a small smile.

"Likewise," Helen replied. "Nice to know there are other survivors."

Liam nodded. "I don't have much out here in the RV, but you know, what I do have y'all can help yourselves to it," he explained. "Good people gotta stick together when times are tough."

Helen smiled gratefully. "Well it's been a long day and somewhere to sleep would be awfully nice."

"Sure," Liam said. "Go on and take the extra bedrooms." He began to walk away. "If you need me for anything, come find me." But as he was walking away, Nick noticed some unusual markings on the back of the man's neck. They were red and splotchy and looked like teeth marks if he were being honest with himself. Immediately, he nudged Luke who gave him a quizzed look.

"His neck," Nick whispered, and the other man followed his line of sight before turning back to Nick.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I think bite marks?"

"What the hell are you two over there whisperin' about?" Pete interjected as he was deciding which room he was going to stay in. Neither Nick or Luke answered though, because they didn't want to get a lecture from Pete. "Well?" the older man prompted.

"He had bite marks on his neck," Luke finally said quietly.

Helen had a sad look in her eyes, "I saw them too," she admitted.

"So?" Pete questioned. "That could mean anything."

"Uncle Pete," Nick stated solemnly. "You know what we saw out there...and we're not completely sure on how this shit all starts..."

"What do we do?" Helen asked, glancing at the three others.

Nick remembered some of the zombie movies he and Luke used to watch as kids, how people would turn into one of _them_ after a bite mark. But surely it couldn't be like that, right? That was fiction, but what was going on was real. Was it any different now?

"Wait it out?" Luke suggested before Nick had a chance to answer. "I mean, this guy's offerin' us a place for the night. Maybe we should give him the benefit of the doubt. If somethin' happens, we'll figure it out, right?"

Pete thought about it for a moment, then: "Fine. We'll keep an eye on him. But I ain't itchin' to be thrown out if we're wrong."

"We won't," Nick said a little rudely.

"Alright, alright...enough serious talk," Helen got out. "Let's get on to bed and we'll figure out everything in the morning, including where we're gonna go," she said with a nod and headed into one of the bedrooms. Nick followed her, while Pete and Luke went into the other spare bedroom. They were all tired, but they knew they probably wouldn't sleep well due to everything that was happening in their surroundings. When would they get answers? When would they know what all of this was?

Only time would tell...and Nick had a feeling it wouldn't be any time soon.


	4. The Burial

Thankfully, the group had managed to get at least a few hours of sleep before Nick had woken up. It was still dark when he opened his eyes, his mother Helen, still asleep beside him. However, it was a thump in the night that had startled him, and he was listening intently to see if he would hear it again. The camper was eerily quiet, and it might have been because everyone was asleep; but something just didn't feel right to Nick. And when he heard the thump again, his thoughts were confirmed.

Carefully, he climbed out of the bed, not wanting to wake Helen, and grabbed the rifle he'd laid on the floor earlier. He'd rather be safe than sorry, especially with the supposed bite marks they saw on Liam earlier. He wanted to be wrong though; God he wanted to be wrong. They needed someone friendly like Liam, someone who knew what the hell they were doing. But it would be their luck to run into a survivor who had something wrong with him.

Nick rubbed the sleep out of his eyes before opening the door to the tiny hallway, bracing himself for anything.

The thumping came from the other side, and Nick kept his rifle handy just in case. It eventually led him to the small kitchen, which was almost pitch black (except for the moonlight) until he turned on the light. It was only Liam, having been rummaging through the cabinets. He wasn't able to turn around before Nick got a look at the back of his gray shirt, where a small stream of blood was flowing through due to the marks on his neck.

"Oh, it's just you, good," Liam said, a visibly relieved look gracing his feature. He smiled slightly.

"Heard a noise, thought it might be one of them things," Nick replied with a frown. "You, uh, you alright?"

"Yeah, yeah, fine," Liam answered, waving his hand. "Just needed some water." He coughed violently, and it was only then that Nick saw how deathly pale he was becoming.

"You look like shit, man," Nick said as calmly as he could. But that bad vibe was ever growing, as if Liam knew a little - or a lot - more than he was letting on.

"I-I'm okay, just..." The older man coughed again as he filled a glass with tap water. He had to turn away, coughing onto his arm. He never did straighten up, though, because he collapsed right there on the tile floor. The water-filled glass shattered everywhere, and the sound made a bigger noise.

"Shit!" Nick swore. He slowly walked over to Liam, looking down with widened eyes as he gripped his rifle. "Liam, fuck, man, say something! Are you alive?"

He quickly checked Liam's pulse. It was still there, but just barely. His neck - the part that wasn't bitten - practically burned to the touch.

"The hell's goin' on in here?" It was Pete. The noise of the collapse had woken him up. Upon noticing Liam on the ground, his eyes widened too. "Oh, goddamn it. Is he dead?"

Nick turned to his uncle, alarmed. "I don't know! You gotta help me, Uncle Pete. We were right about the bite...and his pulse is barely there!" He was trying to stay calm, but it was incredibly difficult because of their current circumstances. "Should we...should we kill him?"

"Son, you can't kill him if he's already dead," Pete replied.

"We don't know if he's dead...I mean, what if he's going to turn into one of those things?" he continued to question.

But before Pete could give an answer, a noise came from Liam. Freaked out, Nick immediately aimed the gun at him, but Pete grabbed hold of his wrists.

"Now hold on! We don't know how this works yet," he scolded. "You said there was a pulse."

It turned out that the noise was ragged breathing. Liam tried to sit up, but was hardly able to. He coughed yet again. At the confirmation that he was still alive, Pete practically yanked the gun from Nick's hands, earning a glare from his nephew in return.

"Fuck...what happened?" Liam croaked.

"You passed out!" Nick exclaimed. "Damn it, we thought you were dead!"

"You alright? You're pretty damn pale," Pete added.

Nick decided to ask the inevitable question, feeling suspicious now. "Where'd you get those marks? The ones on your neck?"

Liam sighed, knowing that he had to tell these people the truth. "Alright, alright..." he trailed off. "When all of this started, I was trying to help the other people at the campsite, you know? But I had my back turned and one of those things got me...hell, I think I knew who it was, too..." He shook his head as he spoke weakly. "I didn't think it meant anything."

"Well it does fucking mean something!" Nick hissed in reply.

"We don't know anything yet," Pete interjected, not wanting the situation to escalate.

"I guess we're about to find out then," Nick said, watching as Liam's skin grew paler and paler with each passing second. It was unreal, and it almost felt like a nightmare to both Pete and Nick. To think that it was just a normal day, and then all of this shit had to happen. And in fact, it was the bite that did it; Liam found that out the hard way. He collapsed on the floor once more, this time, all the life in his body leaving him.

"Back up, Nick," Pete warned, not knowing what was going to happen next.

Nick obliged, standing next to his uncle as the two retreated away from Liam's body. It was some minutes later before another noise came from Liam, only this time, it wasn't any type of breathing, regular or otherwise. It was a low growling sound, and when Liam opened his eyes again, they were pure white. The decaying smell came far quicker than either man would have liked. Pete took out a knife that he'd put in his pocket, cautioning Nick to stay where he was, and slowly approached Liam.

"That gun will make too much noise," the old man whispered. "We'll put him out of his misery without attractin' more of 'em."

"Fine," Nick said back.

Liam's turned body began to stand up, and Pete gripped the knife. He didn't feel right in any possible way, doing this, but he had to if he wanted to keep the others safe.

"I'm sorry. It's a shame we couldn't save you," he said, and then plunged the knife into Liam's eye. Black blood splattered everywhere, and Liam went back down, the knife sticking out of his head.

"Jesus Christ..." Nick muttered. He felt like he was going to be sick, and he wasn't alone there. There was an eerily long pause, and then, "...what do we do?"

"I say we bury him," Pete said. "We owe him that much. But it's too damn dark to see right now."

"Morning then," Nick nodded. "Luke can help us."

"Alright," Pete agreed. "Let's move the body out of the way for now." He gestured for the younger man and the two picked up Liam's decaying body and carried him back to the bedroom he was staying in. They laid him on the bed, and covered his body so the smell wouldn't be so bad. "And don't say nothin' to your mother...she doesn't need to know about this," Pete replied.

"She's tougher than you think, you know," Nick bit back.

"I know." Pete nodded. "It's just...not yet." He shook his head before looking back up at his nephew. "Go on back to bed, we got a long day ahead of us tomorrow." Once those words left his mouth, Nick was thankful. He was still very tired, and after what just happened, he wanted to sleep more than anything. So, he headed back into the bedroom with his mother and climbed back into bed. Within minutes, he was asleep.

Morning came quicker than he would have liked, but he wasn't the first one to wake. It was Luke, and he had managed to find something for everyone to eat for breakfast for when they woke as well.

Nick came out to find him dishing out the food onto the plates from the cabinet. He noticed that there were five plates, indicating that Luke didn't know anything. God, this was going to suck. He could still see Liam's body, fresh in his mind.

"Morning," he greeted, trying to push it back.

"Oh, hey," Luke said in return, taking a spot at the table. "Sleep alright?"

Nick only shrugged, sitting beside him and rubbing the back of his neck. Like hell there was an easy way to explain what had happened. Turning his head, he could see that Pete had cleaned the blood to the best of his ability, but one could easily tell where it was.

"It was a bite," he said bluntly.

Luke looked puzzled. "What?"

"Those marks on Liam's neck? It was a bite," Nick explained somberly. "Pete and I found him in here, saw him die...turned right in front of us. Fuck, this ain't like the movies. This ain't like any shit we ever saw." He was really hoping that Helen wasn't listening at the moment. "Freaked the hell outta me."

Pete walked into the room at that moment, looking just as somber as Nick felt. They could hear Helen readying herself in the bedroom, so she would be out at any moment. No one knew how she would react.

"He turned that fast?" Luke asked. "Damn. Where is he now?"

"His bedroom. We're burying him."

"He's really dead though?" Luke inquired.

"Yeah man, Pete took care of him," Nick answered.

"Holy shit."

Pete sighed. "I didn't do nothing...only put him out of his misery."

It was that moment when Helen finally made her presence known as she walked into the kitchen. "Boy, something sure smells good! I am starving." She approached the boys. "Everyone sleep alright? What's for breakfast?"

Luke shrugged. "Oh, I just threw together what I could find."

"How'd you sleep, Mom?" Nick asked.

"You know, I actually slept okay," she said with a nod. "Where's Liam at? He still sleeping?" Nick closed his eyes and sighed. He knew she was going to find out eventually. His eyes darted to Pete, urging him to hell Helen just what had happened. After all, he was the one that had wanted to keep it from her.

"Uh, Helen...I gotta tell you some bad news." Pete sat down beside her. "Liam didn't make it last night."

Helen looked shocked. "What?"

"It turned out to be a lurker bite after all," Pete explained, remaining calm and collected despite the uneasy feeling that remained. "Poor bastard turned, there was nothin' we could've done to prevent it. We're burying him before we take off."

For a few moments, Helen was quiet. Then, "My God. That poor man. He didn't deserve it." She looked visibly upset, but Nick was right, she was a tough woman.

There was a moment of silence for Liam, and after breakfast was eaten, it was time to bury him. After checking to make sure that there weren't any walkers around, Luke and Nick got to digging a hole just outside the RV. They did have to be careful and keep an eye out, though. In about ten minutes, the hole was dug up. Luke and Pete got the body out of the bedroom and carried it outside. Liam was laid in the dirt, and Luke and Pete also took the liberty of covering up his body while Nick and Helen watched on, staring down at the grave. Liam had been kind and hospitable to the four of them in his final hours, so it was only fair that they do something for him in return, even as to laying him to rest.

Helen found a piece of plywood and marked it with Liam's name before placing it over the soil. She, Nick, Pete, and Luke stared at the grave for several long moments.

"We should go," Pete eventually said. "We're burnin' daylight."


	5. Making a Deal

A few days turned to nearly a week, and it seemed as though the government and military still had yet to really intervene. Sure, the group of four noticed helicopters every now and again, but for every one they saw, a couple went down, causing a small explosion in the distance. Usually, these crashes were too far a distance to even think about going to see how bad it was. This told the small group that things really were going to hell.

They hadn't exactly lucked out in finding another place to find camp, so they had to make do with sleeping in the truck, taking turns to be on watch since they had no choice but to be out in the open. Nothing seemed to creep up on them, though, and with very limited light, it was kind of hard to tell what was really out here. The nights were far too quiet.

"The truck don't have a lot of gas left," Pete took note on the fourth or fifth day. It was late afternoon, around dusk, and it was his turn to drive. "Sooner or later the battery'll be dead. Think it's high time we find a place to really hold up."

"Thank God, I'm sick of driving," Helen replied. She could only stand to be in the car for so long, and being in it for days on end was driving her stir-crazy.

"Still got that map?" Nick inquired, looking to Luke and the rest of his group members. Luke only nodded and pulled it out of his back pocket. There weren't many choices if the young man was being honest with himself. Where would they go? They'd been out of the city for quite some time, and staying in the forest wasn't exactly ideal. Nick furrowed his brows as he looked over the map, or at least, what was left of it.

"Find anything?" Helen asked.

Nick shook his head, "Not yet. Any ideas?"

"Well we don't want a place too big, since it's just the four of us," Pete got out. "And somethin' that'll be easy to defend...and we'll have to find supplies too," he finally finished.

Luke sighed. "Hell, that makes it harder then, huh?"

"There's got to be some old stores around here or something..." Helen trailed off as she glanced at the many trees around her. They hadn't passed anything that was good for survivors in miles, and that worried her. Where would they go?

Pete was driving, so of course he couldn't exactly look at the map for himself. Even now, with no other cars on the roads for days, he didn't want to risk hitting anyone or anything (and even hitting a walker was bound to be dangerous). Nick turned to Luke, who was still skimming around the map.

"Any idea where we are?" he questioned.

"I think we're about to come up on Georgia," Luke pointed out, his finger on a spot on the map. He looked up. "Uh, how do y'all think Atlanta is?"

"No major cities," Pete spoke up, glancing back. "Anywhere with a large population has gotta be filled with the dead by now, and I ain't riskin' that."

"Well, we have to go somewhere!" Helen shot back.

She was right, but still nothing came up. The sign for Georgia came and went, but things were looking even bleaker here so far, if that were possible. Some of the helicopter crashes had landed here, buildings were burning, and it all quite literally looked like something out of a dystopia. It was after dark when Luke pointed out that they were nearing the city of Macon, or at the very least, the highway that led to it.

"We should stop for the night," Pete pointed out once it began to get darker. "Don't want to waste anymore gas," he continued, pulling the truck over. And just as Luke had said, they were right on the outskirts of Macon, a somewhat small town. In the morning, they'd be able to check for supplies and other survivors and whatnot. But for now? It was too dark, and the four travelers were extremely tired. It would be another night of sleeping in the truck, and they were all just about sick of that as well.

"I'll keep watch first," Nick volunteered. "You all go ahead and get some sleep."

"You sure?" Luke asked.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. We haven't seen anyone for miles," he confirmed.

"Alright," Pete spoke up. "Everyone get some sleep, because we'll be up early looking for a place to make camp, and some damn weapons and supplies," he finished before leaning his head back and closing his eyes. Everyone else except Nick managed to do the same, and the younger man spent the majority of his watch time staring out the window, trying to come up with a plan for all of this mess.

He usually wasn't the one to make major decisions, so he didn't exactly come up with anything worthwhile. The night was once again silent, which was quite the opposite of all the things running through his mind. Checking the watch Pete had given him some years ago, he noticed that there were still hours until he was to wake Luke up for his watch. Damn.

Since the street lights in this part of the state were still on, it was a bit easier to see things tonight. They'd made sure to park in an area that kept them rather hidden, but who knew what kind of attention the light would bring?

A noise coming from the bushes that led into the forest woke a half-asleep Nick up pretty quickly. Despite his uncle's earlier orders to keep weapons put away in case of emergencies, he took his rifle and stepped out of the car, closing the door quietly to avoid waking anyone or otherwise. There were some low growls, but Nick knew it was better not to investigate. After all, the forest would only lead him into darkness, and darkness equaled danger.

Nick was sure he saw a silhouette approaching the walker that decided to show itself in front of a street light some yards away. He quickly went to the other side of the truck, wanting to make sure nothing dangerous was happening.

"Shit," he whispered.

His instincts were right. The silhouette appeared to be a youngish-looking woman with brown hair, who killed the walker with what looked like a knife. She seemed to know how to take care of these things without attracting more. A bigger figure, an older man about Pete's age, was soon behind her, grumbling something. Nick, however, couldn't make out what they were saying, but he could tell that this old guy didn't sound too pleased.

They continued to walk closer, and Nick began to panic. They were survivors, real people! Not walkers, and he knew that it was different. Since he was on the other side of the truck, he reached to open the door so he could wake up Luke. "Luke," he whispered harshly, shaking the other man. "Luke, get up!" he hissed. He didn't have much time, what with the two people coming closer by every second.

Immediately, he opened his eyes. "What? What is it?" he whispered.

"There's people!" he got out. "Comin' this way!"

Luke jumped up. "What!?"

"Yeah, look!" Nick subtly gestured to the two figures walking down the dimly lit road. They were getting closer, and still, he hadn't devised a plan on how to deal with them. If he were lucky, they'd pass and be on their merry way. But Nick knew better, things like that never happened nowadays, especially with his luck. "What should we do?" he asked.

"Maybe they have a camp...with more people."

"You really think so?" Nick asked.

He nodded. "It'd be nice to not just be the four of us anymore, don't ya think?"

"I'm not sure," Nick replied. "I don't think Uncle Pete would like it too much."

"Well we gotta try something," Luke defended as he too, grabbed his gun and stepped quietly out of the truck.

"Hey, man, what are you doing?"

"We just gotta get their attention," he replied as he lifted his rifle at the approaching figures. "Stop right there!" he called out, causing the man and woman to freeze.

"What the fuck?!" the man protested, his face looking angrier than anyone Nick had ever seen.

"Dad, I'll handle this," the woman tried to reason. Suspiciously, she turned back to Nick and Luke. "Who are you?" It was only then that Nick noticed the knife she held in her fists, her hands caked in blood. Who knew what kind of mess these two had gotten into.

"I'm Luke, and this is Nick," Luke introduced them both. "Listen, we ain't here to hurt y'all or rob you of your things, okay? We can keep this civil." Here, Luke lowered his gun to the ground, and eyed Nick, silently telling him to do the same. The younger man reluctantly obliged.

"Why should we listen to a couple of punk kids like you?" the man questioned sharply. His voice level was high enough to risk waking Pete and Helen, but it wasn't like he cared or even knew about such a thing.

"You called us here for a reason," the woman explained, still not quite trusting them yet. She didn't look ready to let go of her knife. "You obviously want something from us. Tell us what that is."

"Hey, look, lady, we're tryin' to survive, like you," Nick told her, and Luke nudged him. "We ain't asking for anything. The world's gone to shit."

"Can we at least have your names?" Luke inquired, trying to keep things from going in a rough patch.

"Lilly. This is my dad, Larry." She seemed reluctant to give away their names, but they had probably been the first survivors they'd come across in a while, too.

"You from around here?" Luke asked.

"Oh cut the shit," Lilly got out. "You didn't threaten me with a gun to make small talk. What the hell do you want?" she asked brashly.

Luke sighed, knowing that this woman - Lilly - was smart. "We've been on the road for days and we need help," he answered honestly.

"You're the first survivors we've seen in a week," Nick added.

"Well, I hate to break it to you, but we don't have jack shit to give you," Lilly shot back. "Just what kind of 'help' could you possibly need? How do we know you don't have a fuck ton of supplies in that truck of yours?"

Luke, keeping his hands where they could be seen, paused for a minute. "Look, we won't lie, we've got enough to keep us goin' for several days, but once that's through, we're fucked. We just want to know if you know a place to hold up at, and, I don't know, that has more supplies?"

"I wouldn't trust these assholes, Lilly," Larry spoke up before his daughter could. "They could be stirrin' up trouble as we speak!"

"Dad, please, just stay calm, I've got this," Lilly chided, looking up at him in near exasperation.

It was at that moment when Pete and Helen exited the truck, having been awakened from all the commotion. "What's goin' on here?" Pete asked carefully, looking from his nephew to Lilly and her father. "Nick, where'd these people come from?"

Nick looked to his uncle. "I saw 'em walking down the street, figure they might be able to help us. That's Lilly and Larry." He gestured to the others.

"I'm Pete and this is my sister Helen," Pete replied. "I hope my nephew ain't done anything too stupid. Sometimes he doesn't think," he apologized for Nick, which caused the other man to scowl at him.

"Well, we do have a camp," Lilly explained. "But we're low on supplies and it's just my dad and I there. We really lack numbers."

"Maybe we could make a deal," Pete got out. "If that's alright with you." He gestured to Lilly.

"What kind of deal?" she inquired, a brow raised.

"We'd be happy to share some of our supplies with y'all, in exchange for some shelter for at least a couple days," the older man explained. "We've been on the road for damn near a week, and we could use some good folks."

"Is that so?" Larry crossed his big arms, still looking none-too-happy.

"Want proof?" Nick asked a little bitterly, already not liking this guy. He went back to the truck and took out the heavy backpack that their supplies were being kept in. There was food, water, and a bit of medicine that they were able to scrounge up. Lilly took a look inside.

"I don't suppose you have any nitroglycerin pills," she said with a frown. "My dad has to take them regularly."

"Sorry, ma'am," Luke replied, shaking his head. "But maybe we could help y'all find some? Macon has stores, right?"

Lilly nodded. "Everett's Pharmacy. We were going to check there tomorrow, see how bad it is."

"So it's settled, right?" Nick asked, hoping to God that they'd accept. He was sick of being in the car, too. "You help us in exchange for some supplies and shelter, and, look, we can help y'all get your pills."

"Safety in numbers is important now," Helen spoke up for the first time since the conversation began.

Lilly looked down, thinking it over for what seemed like eternity. "Fine. But just for a couple days."


	6. Group of Six

The group knew that it was better to take the truck and drive back to this camp of Lilly and Larry's as opposed to walking. Larry still wasn't keen on this arrangement, and Lilly seemed wary herself, due to the unsure look she sent Pete as she and her father climbed into the bed of the truck (since there was no more room inside). But this had to work...right? Safety in numbers surely had to be important.

Nick, Pete, Helen, and Luke only hoped that this would go better than it had with Liam. These two wouldn't be a lost cause, despite Larry's heart condition.

"The road will lead to an exit," Lilly explained through the open back window as Pete started the truck up again. "That's the quickest way back. _Don't_ try anything."

"We said we wouldn't, did we?" Luke answered with a shrug.

"Don't get smart with us, boy," Larry spat.

"Let's go," Nick said, making a mental note to avoid this guy as much as he possibly could.

The exit wasn't far, maybe half a mile, and the four inside the truck were surprised to see that there were still lights on in Macon as well. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad here. They kept the back window open so that Lilly, who already seemed to be a leader type of person, could give them the directions. She seemed satisfied enough that these new people were actually following them, and not taking them to a potentially dangerous place.

Maybe she was wrong about them after all; still, you could never be too sure. She knew that people could up and go crazy during times like this - whatever the hell was happening. "Make a right up here, and the camp will be on the left," Lilly finished her directions as Pete continued to drive. She and Larry were staying in an abandoned house, one that was a little ways from the town of Macon. The yard was fenced in, which was a plus, and the house wasn't too big, making it easy to protect.

She and her dad hadn't been here long, but it was long enough to fortify the place, boarding up the windows and gathering what little weapons and supplies they could. They didn't have much, been then again, it was enough for the two of them. That's why Lilly was apprehensive about letting the newcomers in...but she and Larry needed the numbers, as well as the supplies.

"That it?" Pete gestured to the house.

Lilly nodded. "Yeah."

"It's a little small," Nick commented, and Lilly glared at him through the window.

"You don't have to stay here, asshole," she retorted.

Pete sighed and shook his head. "Don't you ever think before you talk, boy?" he questioned.

"How do we know there's room for the six of us?" Nick inquired.

"There is," Lilly interjected.

"See?" Pete asked. "Everything's fine."

Larry and Lilly climbed out of the back while the others stepped out of the inside, making sure to lock up. Lilly led them all to the door - while Larry sent the newcomers dirty looks - and unlocked it. The inside wasn't very big, either - just a generic living room and kitchen, and there was a bathroom and what looked to be three bedrooms down the tiny hall. The walls were bare, though, as though a family had hurriedly taken down any mementos that may have been hung up before. But no matter. It looked safe, at least from first glance.

"Good, it's been untouched," Lilly said more to herself than to anyone else.

"This actually looks very nice," Helen spoke up, a small smile on her face. She looked around. "Y'all seem to keep this place protected well enough."

Lilly nodded once. "We keep every door and window locked when we're inside, no exceptions."

"That's smart," Pete said, approving of that.

"You, uh, get a lot of lurkers?" Nick inquired.

"There's some crazy shit going on, but we've only seen a handful in this area," Lilly explained. She briefly turned to look at Larry, who was leaning against the wall with his big arms crossed. "If we're lucky, we'll be able to hold up here for a while."

"Well you two have definitely done well for yourself so far," Luke got out.

Lilly nodded. "My dad and I are very tired...so, you guys can take the extra bedrooms and the living room and get some rest. In the morning after breakfast, we'll go into Macon and look for supplies..." she trailed off, gesturing down the hall. "Now that there's six of us, we'll definitely need more food and water."

Pete nodded. "Thanks for letting us stay here. We'll try to be as much help as we can."

"Goodnight," Helen bid both Lilly and Larry, before heading to one of the extra bedrooms. Lilly and Larry went into one bedroom, while Helen and Pete got their own, and Nick and Luke were stuck with the living room, sleeping on the tiny couches. However, at the moment, Nick couldn't sleep.

"Hey man, are you still awake?" he asked Luke.

"Yeah."

"Are you okay?" Nick inquired.

Luke let out a little chuckle. "Of course I'm okay...why?"

Nick shrugged even though he knew Luke couldn't see him in the dark room. "I don't know...because everything is shitty...and your parents? You never said anything."

"It is what it is," Luke answered nonchalantly, which shocked Nick.

It was quiet for a few moments before he actually audibly responded. "I tell you what, though, one good thing about this goddamn apocalypse or whatever the hell it is, is that we don't have to sit in that damn pawn shop every day anymore..." he got out, and Luke laughed. "I'm serious, man, one more day in there and I would have lost it."

"Oh, come on, it wasn't that bad."

"We were flat broke in six months," Nick reminded him, wanting to tell him that entrepreneurship had been his idea, but decided not to push it. Then, he thought about it for a few moments. "...guess we did have some fun while we were alone in there, huh?" Here, he laughed too, thinking about the shenanigans that had gone on in that store for three years.

"We did; probably, y'know, scared some people away in the process," Luke answered. It was sort of nice to have a distraction from everything that was going on outside the fence.

Nick grimaced. "Thanks for the reminder."

"We should get some sleep," Luke said, changing the subject before the air became grim again. "Got a big day tomorrow, I'm guessin'. I don't think Lilly'll take any shit."

"I ain't goin' near that Larry guy," Nick commented. He frowned deeply, being reminded of his hateful father, who had passed away some years ago now. "He's got a fuckin' problem, and I'm better off not knowin' what that is."

Luke chuckled. "Goodnight, Nick."

"Yeah, night."

Morning came quickly. Helen decided to help out by setting up breakfast before most of them headed out, setting six bowls of food down. Nick woke up to the sounds of his mother, Pete, and Lilly talking, most likely about what was to happen that day.

"My dad can stay here, and maybe someone from your group, but we need most of us out there," he could hear Lilly saying.

"My mom can stay," Nick said quickly as he approached the table.

Helen frowned. "I'm just as capable as y'all..."

Nick shook his head. "You need to stay, it's safer, and you can help out with Larry. Make sure he's okay, right?" He looked for Pete and Lilly to back him up as they ate their breakfast.

Pete nodded in agreement. "He's right, Helen, it's not safe for all of us to go out there."

"And we won't be gone long," Lilly added as an afterthought. "Just enough time for us to go to Macon and grab what we can."

Helen sighed. "I suppose I could stay."

Just as she finished her sentence, Larry approached the table, and Luke began to wake up. It was still relatively early, but the sooner they went, the better. They'd be back at camp, safely, in no time. And if everything went in their favor, they'd have some more supplies and weapons before the day was over, and if they were really lucky, they might even find Larry's pills he needed. That was what Lilly hoped for the most.

"We should see if the strip mall still has supplies," Lilly directed as soon as breakfast was over. It was easy to see that she liked to take charge. "I know the way, I lived a few miles down the road from it. They've got a pharmacy there, too, but we need to check every place."

"Sounds like a plan," Pete said in approval. He seemed to be growing more trustworthy of Lilly, she already looked capable of surviving this thing if it lasted longer than a few weeks. He took his rifle and put a few rounds into it. "Let's head out."

"I don't like this," Larry threw in his two cents, glaring at Nick, Luke, and Pete. Helen looked at him wearily, knowing that this would be a long day alone with him.

"Dad, relax, I'll be fine," Lilly said. "Just...try to stay calm, okay? We're gonna see if we can find you another bottle of pills before you run out."

Larry grumbled. "Fine."

So the four of them went into the truck, Lilly in the front seat this time so she could, once again, give directions.

"So how far is this strip mall?" Nick questioned.

"About five miles," Lilly answered. "We should be able to get there quickly."

"We got a plan for when we get there?" Pete asked.

Luke laughed. "Don't die?" he suggested, and Lilly gave him a glare.

"Once we get there to scope the place out, we should be able to come up with something. We don't know how dangerous it is there...after all, it is in the city," she pointed out. But there were four of them, so getting in and getting out should be easy as long as they cooperated and worked as a team, as well as watched each other's backs when the time came for it.

"Have you been before to look for supplies?" Nick asked.

"I tried to," Lilly answered. "When all this shit started to happen...but there were too many people to risk going in...especially with my dad."

"Just hope it ain't a death trap now," Pete said. Who knew if some of those people were still there, but no longer alive?

"Turn left here," Lilly directed, pointing ahead.

There were a few dead bodies and some roaming ones, but nothing they couldn't drive through. A deserted strip mall soon came to view, at the end of a road. Lilly pointed it out, and Pete parked the truck near the first store, locking up afterwards.

"Don't use the guns unless it's an emergency," Lilly ordered. "Knives only, and anything quiet you may find in here."

"Got it," Luke said, nodding.

"We should stick together," Pete added, "Just in case." They got out of the truck, gathering what weapons they had, and surveyed the area before making any sudden moves. It seemed desolate enough, but Lilly knew better; she knew that the smallest thing could draw the walkers.

"This way," Lilly took the lead, walking slowly as the others followed her. "We'll go store by store and grab what we can if there isn't any trouble."

"Sounds good," Nick said, readying his knife. However, the first store was practically empty. There were only a few things of canned food, and an emergency first aid kit.

"It ain't much," Pete said. "But it's better than nothing."

"Let's keep going...there's gotta be something in this mall that hasn't been rummaged through yet," Lilly replied, leading the way to another store.

There were few things on the front shelves in this store, too, but they could see that the back area still looked to be somewhat stocked. How had people missed the items that were back here?

"One of us should check that back room," Lilly said, keeping her voice low for obvious reasons. "Make sure it's empty, too."

"I can do it," Nick volunteered himself.

"You sure, man?" Luke asked him.

Nick rolled his eyes. "I ain't a little kid, Luke."

Before anyone could reply, Nick took his rifle and went to the back, where the manager's office door was while the others began collecting the items that remained. He placed his hand on the knob and put his ear close to the door, listening for any sound that could be behind it. All was quiet on the other side, but the key was still in the lock. Probably wasn't the smartest thing to do, if someone had been hiding in this back room.

He opened the door, but the next thing he knew, he was pushed back onto the ground, trying to hold off a walker that had fallen on top of him. He let out a yell, trying to hold it back.

"FUCK!" he yelled, unable to help it. This walker, though, was at least fifty pounds heavier than he was, so it was a major struggle.

"Nick!" Pete called out, rushing towards his nephew. He only had his rifle on him, so he did the only thing he thought to do; shoot the walker. He aimed his rifle immediately at the head and pulled the trigger, spewing the blood and different remains on Nick who still seemed to be in shock. He stood up though, nonetheless. "You okay?" Pete questioned, but Nick didn't have time to answer because he was cut off by Lilly.

"Fuck!" she hissed. "That shot was loud enough to attract hundreds of them!" She threw her hands up in frustration as if to prove her point.

"Well I had to help him," Pete pointed out.

Lilly waived it off. "Everyone get your shit. We have to go now, before the walkers overrun this place." And just as those words had left her mouth, a horde could be heard outside the strip mall, which was never a good thing.

"Shit, come on!" Luke got out, running toward the exit.

The three men weren't far behind, but they had to kill a few of them to be able to catch up. Everyone practically jumped into the truck, and this time, Luke was the one driving. He started up the vehicle quickly and sped the hell away as quickly as they possibly could. It only took them about two minutes to get back to the little house.

Helen and Larry were still inside, seemingly avoiding each other. Helen stood up when her family, Luke, and Lilly entered.

"Back already?" she asked, but that was before she got a good look at Nick's clothes. "What happened?! Are any of you hurt?!"

"We're fine, Mom," Nick told her, hoping to lessen her worries. "Don't worry, the blood ain't mine."

"We, uh, ran into a little trouble at one of the stores," Luke added, rubbing the back of his neck.

"What do you mean _trouble?_ " Larry inquired harshly.

"Nick got attacked, Pete decided to kill it by using a weapon that attracted more of them," Lilly explained, glaring at Pete.

"Now look here, I was tryin' to save my nephew, and I didn't have a knife on me," Pete answered in a defensive tone. He didn't look happy to be accused of anything.

"Stop, we can't fight like this!" Helen held up her hands, hoping to stop before things got out of hand.

Lilly sighed, squeezing her eyes shut. "If they make it over here, this place won't be safe anymore."

"They won't make it here," Nick said.

"How do you know that?" she shot back, turning to face the younger man. It was in that moment when she really started to regret inviting the other survivors along with them. If the house got destroyed, she and her dad wouldn't have anywhere else to go.

"They're slow, right?" Luke asked. "There's no way they'd be able to come after our truck..."

"You can never be too sure," Lilly said. "We'll just have to keep watch."


	7. Back to Square One

The night had gone by terribly slow, but once the group of six had completely made sure that no walkers could get to their safe house, they all retired for bed. Each of them were in the respective places as same as the night before. However, Lilly couldn't sleep. She kept thinking of the day's supply run and how wrong it had gone; and hell, it could have been worse if she were being honest with herself. She found herself thinking that these people - Pete, Helen, Luke, and Nick - they had good intentions, but she did not want to stay in a group with them.

At least, not when she had to look out for both her and her father. There was too much at stake, and she wasn't sure whether she wanted them to stick around or not. In that moment, Lilly was glad that everyone happened to be sleeping; she couldn't think right if there was too much going on around her. But now she had an even bigger task at hand. Stay with these people, and have safety in numbers, or separate from these people, and not have to worry about them.

It was in no way an easy decision, and no one was going to win in either situation. Larry would be happy if the two just took off, but if they stayed as a group, then there'd be nothing but bitterness. What the hell was she to do? They could easily sneak out while everyone was asleep and leave half the supplies - or hell, even take the truck.

Either way, Lilly knew more than anyone that this shelter wasn't going to last forever, especially if things outside were to get worse.

Massaging her temple, she got out of bed and made her way to the door, careful not to wake Larry, who was snoring in the other bed. He probably wouldn't, though, because he was usually a heavy sleeper. She made her way to the kitchen, where all the supplies were being kept. If she and her father were going to leave, then the few medical supplies they had were going to need to be brought with them. She glanced over her shoulder, where Luke and Nick were sleeping in the living room and showed no signs of waking up. Good.

Lilly quietly packed a portion of the supplies into her backpack, making a plan about how she and Larry would survive. They would, damn it. They were strong and knew that the world was a cruel place. The next plan, however, was when they would leave.

They could walk, after all, the truck wasn't theirs...but it would be so dangerous, especially with the approaching walkers from the supply run earlier. On the other hand, if they did take the truck, they could get out of here safely, but, would it wake the others up? That was the last thing she wanted. With a sigh, she decided to just say fuck it, and take the truck anyway. After all, she was just looking out for herself and her father; the others would be pissed, but they'd understand, wouldn't they?

Quietly, she put the bag of supplies on her back and headed back into the room where her father was sleeping. Sitting down on the bed, she reached over and shook him gently.

"Dad," she whispered, causing the older man to snore. Lilly rolled her eyes. "Dad!" she hissed, hoping it would work this time.

Thankfully, Larry opened his eyes. "What? What the hell's going on?" he questioned.

"We're leaving," she answered simply.

"What!?"

"We need to go, Dad. We can't stay here," Lilly explained in a quiet voice.

"Why the fuck not?" Larry demanded.

"This neighborhood's gonna get worse. I know it. And these people, we can't be in a group with them. It's enough looking out for the two of us."

"So where the fuck are we going?" Larry glared at her, probably more for having his sleep interrupted than anything.

"I don't know, Dad, but we'll find a safe place. We can take the truck and go. Walking is too dangerous."

As she predicted, Larry was happy to get away from the new people, whom he had never trusted. Within ten or so minutes, the two were ready. Pete had left the keys on the counter, out in the open for anyone to grab. This was the perfect opportunity. Lilly took the keys, careful not to let them jiggle, and led her father out of the house. The night was silent and clear, thank God. She got into the driver's seat and waited for Larry to get in beside her, then she put the key in the ignition, cursing lowly at how loud it was.

Inside, Nick's eyes popped open at the sound of an engine running. "What the fuck?"

He got up instantly and opened the door, which, for some reason, was unlocked. He figured out the reason for that almost immediately, though, because he saw Lilly and Larry quickly reversing out of the driveway, in their truck.

"Lilly! LILLY!" Nick yelled. "HEY! What the fuck?!"

At his yelling, Luke had managed to get up too. "What the hell's goin' on, man?" he questioned.

"That bitch just stole our truck!"

"Are you fuckin' serious!?" Luke inquired, running to the door beside Nick. Sure enough, there was Lilly speeding down the road in their truck, which was now too far away for them to try and run after it.

"Uncle Pete!" Nick hollered, hoping the older man would come out of his room.

"What in God's name are you two out here yellin' about now?" he asked as he eyed the two men sleepily.

"Lilly took the truck!" Luke said.

"What?"

"I bet you the bitch took our supplies too," Nick commented, which caused Luke to go check on them in the kitchen. "I can't even fucking believe this. They still there?" he asked, looking to Luke.

"She only took about half."

Nick rolled his eyes. "Well how thoughtful," he said sarcastically. "She might as well have taken all of them, we're completely fucked without the truck!"

"Calm down a damn minute before you attract lurkers," Pete chastised.

"How the fuck do I 'calm down' after what just happened, huh?"

"They took the truck?" Helen's voice wasn't quite as loud as Nick's, but it was angry enough. Boy, did they look similar when they were angry. "What the hell are we supposed to do without the truck?"

"What do we do now?" Luke asked, not sounding nearly as angry, only more solemn.

"We're goin' to need to come up with a new plan, truck or no truck," Pete replied. "The thing didn't have much gas left in her, so they shouldn't get far. If them dead folk come this way, we gotta find safe routes."

"So staying here is no good?" Helen asked.

Pete shook his head. "Can't risk it. Too many of 'em."

"Even if we walk, where are we gonna go?" Luke asked. "Definitely not Macon, you know the city's got to be overrun by now."

"You still got that map?" Pete inquired.

Nick shook his head as well, his fists clenched. "Lilly took that too." All of them knew they were at a loss at the moment, but they knew they couldn't give up. They had to have at least a little bit of hope, and stay optimistic as well. They had some supplies and weapons, so that was at least one good thing.

Pete was quiet as he began to think. "There's got to be somewhere safe that ain't in the city, we just gotta find it, whether we walk or not."

"You're right. Hasn't been that long since shit went down, there's gotta be someplace," Luke added. "Right?"

"It'd be easier to get to a safe place with a map," Nick grumbled.

"We'll find one," Pete said. "As shitty as today was, it was proof that not everywhere's been looted yet. We gotta keep looking."

"Alright, alright," Helen said. "So we look for a map and go? In the morning?"

"We do exactly that," her brother confirmed. "The truck made quite a bit of noise. I'll stay on my guard in case any of them try to get in. The rest of you go on to bed."

"You sure, man?" Luke inquired. "I can do it."

"I'm sure. Y'all go on."


	8. What Now?

With Lilly and Larry having abandoned them, and the truck stolen, the group were back to square one yet again. Weeks passed, and the hopes of civilization returning to normal were rapidly decreasing. Every day it seemed as though more and more of the dead were rising, and with the dead rising, the supplies were decreasing. Food and water, things they needed to survive, were becoming harder to come by.

"Shit!" Nick growled to himself. He missed the shot once again, scaring off the potential game. He was really starting to wish that he'd paid more attention to the crossbow lessons Pete had been giving him. The crossbow had been one of the few lucky finds, but other than that, nothing.

"We shouldn't waste any more arrows," Luke pointed out, frowning. "We're startin' to lose more."

"You really think I'm trying to?" Nick shot back sarcastically.

"I'm just sayin', Nick, that we should be careful with the amount we use."

Nick rolled his eyes. "You sound like my damn uncle," he retorted. "Speakin' of, where are he and my mom?"

"I told 'em to go on and head back to camp since you were taking so damn long," Luke replied. "Hopefully your mom found us something to eat, I'm starving." He grabbed his stomach as if to prove his point. They had a few things, but Helen was in charge of rationing and preparing the food to make sure that it would last them.

Nick lowered the crossbow. "Yeah, me too, let's head back," he said.

In the short amount of time that Larry and Lilly had abandoned them, the four had managed to leave the small safe house and make camp on the outskirts of Macon in a few tents they had managed to find. The area was a bit secluded, so they weren't totally out in the open, but still, it wasn't safe. Nonetheless, it was all they had without traveling further. A long term plan was up in the air; for now, the group focused on surviving day by day.

"So how much time do you think has passed?" Luke inquired as they walked through a small path in the woods.

Nick shrugged. "Few months probably."

"It sure as shit doesn't feel like that," the other man replied as they approached camp. Pete had already gotten the fire going, and Helen was preparing a can of beans for dinner that night. It wasn't much, but both Nick and Luke were grateful.

"Catch anything?" Pete asked.

"Nope," Nick answered.

"Well, next time let me do the shootin'," he said as he poked the fire with a stick, rolling his eyes at his nephew.

"I'm glad you're back safe," Helen jumped in before the conversation could go negatively, after all, that happened a lot these days with Nick and Pete.

"Yeah, me too," Nick replied, thankful that his mother had intervened.

"This area's still clear, thank God," Luke added. "We ain't seen a lurker for days."

"Let's keep it that way," Pete said.

A few minutes later, the beans were ready, and Helen began to ration out portions. The four would still be hungry, but at least they wouldn't have to go to sleep with a painful knot in their stomachs. A little food was better than no food out here.

They ate in silence for some moments, and it was times like this where Nick almost wished that he and Luke were back in that pawn shop. He didn't exactly _miss_ the place, but he'd definitely rather spend a night in there than another night out here. He knew better than to complain, though, no matter how much he sometimes wanted to.

"Anyone else find it weird that we haven't seen a lurker for awhile?" he broke the silence. "I mean, it's crazy. They're usually all over the damn place. No way they all just disappeared."

"Think we killed all the ones close by?" Helen inquired, turning to her brother. Pete shrugged.

"Maybe, or someone decided they were gonna attract 'em with a bunch of noise," he countered.

They heard a small rumble of thunder. It wasn't raining yet, but from the way the nearly dark sky looked, it probably would soon. Nick groaned and took off his hat, running his fingers through his dark hair.

"Damn it," Luke muttered.

The tents were better than no shelter at all, so when the four were finished with their beans, they put out the fire before the rain did, and headed inside them. They weren't the greatest protection from the rain, but at least they would be mostly dry.

"You all go ahead and get some sleep. I'll keep watch," Pete volunteered as he took the pistol used for night watches and headed out into the rain. There was a nearby tree that sheltered him, so that's where he sat.

Nick sighed as he laid down on the makeshift bed inside the tent; they were lucky enough to stumble across some blankets not too long ago. "I don't know how much longer I can keep this shit up," he complained.

Luke scoffed. "And you think we're just okay with it?" he questioned. "We're in the same boat as you, Nick."

"We need a plan," Nick intervened. "And a good one."

"Pete's been workin' on something," Helen said.

Nick sighed again."And why's he the only one who has a say so? Huh, Mom?" he asked. "The shit ain't fair."

"Look Nick, now ain't the time to be complaining," Helen replied.

"She's right," Luke commented. "We're lucky to be alive," he continued, and Nick only rolled his eyes. He would never say this out loud, but if this is what their quality of life was going to be, then maybe he'd rather be dead. "Just quit worrying about things and get some sleep. You're cranky when you're tired," Luke attempted to joke.

Nick didn't answer him, just stretched out on his bed. "Night."

"Goodnight, hon," Helen replied, getting into her own bed. Luke followed suit.

After just a few hours of restless sleep, Nick woke up to what sounded like something being hit. He sat up, looking around with a frown. Helen and Luke were still asleep nearby, so the noise had to come from outside. It was still raining, so he put his hat on and decided to see what was going on.

He noticed Pete just sitting down, so with nothing better to do - and he doubted he was getting back to sleep anytime soon - he decided to approach him.

"Heard a noise," he said without greeting. "What happened?"

"Just a walker, but I took care of it," Pete answered, turning his gaze over to a corpse that was laying face down. "Probably best I didn't wake y'all," he added, chuckling.

"Not like I was gettin' much sleep," Nick grumbled. He walked forward and took a seat next to his uncle. He wasn't the best at apologizing or even offering the slightest ounce of forgiveness, but he was sick of feeling like this and he was sure the others were, too. He sighed for what felt like the umpteenth time. "Look...I'm sorry for, you know, what a shit I've been lately. I'm just so fuckin' tired." Here, he picked up a nearby rock and threw it in a random direction, as if the rock was a key source of his problems.

Pete gave a tired smile. "Don't worry 'bout it, son. Believe me, I'd love to be outta the woods, too. But there ain't any choice."

"That helps," Nick muttered, more to himself than to Pete. There was a long silence. "See anything weird on watch?"

"Nothin' weirder than the lurker I just killed," Pete answered with a chuckle. Then, his expression turned serious. "I've been thinking of a plan. It's gettin' colder, we can't stay out here much longer. I was gonna discuss this tomorrow, but I say we go north."

"North?" Nick questioned. "Why the hell would you want to go north?"

"It's gonna get colder, and I don't think there's anything else for us here..." Pete trailed off. "We've done went to all the stores, searched high and low for supplies and shelter...and look where we are. Sleeping in tents in the woods!" he said incredulously. "We ain't got nothing to lose, Nick."

Nick shrugged, sort of agreeing on his uncle's last statement. "I guess it is better than sittin' around waiting to die."

"There's got to be something for us there...hell, maybe we could even meet more survivors, ones that won't fuck us over."

At that, Nick had to snort. "Doubt that." He was still sore about the whole Lilly and Larry situation.

"So tomorrow?" Pete proposed. "We'll gather what we have and go north."

"Sounds like a plan," Nick replied. "Hey, I'll watch for a while if you wanna get some sleep," he offered.

"You sure, boy?" Pete asked.

Nick nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Alright." Pete got up, patting Nick briefly on the back. "Goodnight, Nick."

"Night, Uncle Pete."

He watched as the older man disappeared inside the tent, feeling somewhat glad that they had thing patched up, for now at least. How long would it be before he started complaining again?

It was a long night, but morning eventually came. The ground was wet from last night's rain, and the sky was still overcast, but today was generally cooler. As promised, Pete proposed his plan to Helen and Luke.

"You sure about this?" Luke inquired.

"Damn right I am," Pete said. "Can't sit around here forever. We don't know when more lurkers are gonna be back around here. I say we go while we still got daylight."

"Maybe we'll be able to find an indoor shelter tonight," Helen pointed out, trying to remain positive. Despite the temper she and her son shared, she had a bit more of a level head. Pete gave a single nod in agreement.

They packed up what little supplies they had left, including the tents, and were on their way yet again. Nick kept hold of his rifle, as usual, in case anything or anyone decided to jump out at them. He just hoped neither Pete or his mother would take it away from him as if he were a child should something go wrong.

Luke turned around soon after the journey began, and his eyes widened. "Holy shit. Are y'all seeing what I'm seeing?"

The others turned around, too, and had the same initial reaction.

"Jesus H. Christ," Pete murmured.

The horde that was nearby was bigger than any one of them had ever seen.


End file.
